Saturday, May 05, 2012

‘HOME ALONE’…..JUST ME & THE FABULOUS PHEEBS:))

HOPEFUL PARENTS KEEP A WARY EYE ON OUR PRESENCE

I don't think anyone understands better the rigors & difficulties of living with another human being in a small space for a prolonged period of time more than full time RV folks. As Snow Birds, Kelly & I do that very thing, but for only about half the time each year that full time folks do. I think it takes a special kind of relationship with a lot patience & understanding between two people to be together 24/7 day after day after day. Kelly has a whole lot more of that patience stuff than I do. Not easy for someone like myself who likes the freedom of my own space but I must say, I have adapted reasonably well when we are on the road. But, I do look forward to arriving home in the Spring to our bigger sticks & bricks &'stretching out.'

MOMMA GOOSE ATOP HER NEST NERVOUSLY MOVES TO THE WATERS EDGE AS WE APPROACH…POPPA GOOSE COMES FLYING IN TO WARD OFF THE INTRUDERSToday, Kelly headed off to Cambridge for a couple days. Her Son Ben & now wife Bri were married last January in the Dominican Republic & Kelly, along with some other friends & family members were not able to attend the wedding. Ben & Bri are having a second wedding reception in Cambridge Ontario today, so Kelly headed over this afternoon to attend that. It's about an hour & 40 minute drive. She will be staying at Ben & Bri's house until Sunday or maybe Monday visiting with family. Space there was limited so Pheebs & I opted to stay home & hold the Fort. I'm not comfortable with large people gatherings anyway so it's far less hassle for everybody if Pheebs & I just stay home & hang out. Besides, I like the change of pace. Pheebs & I can crank up the stereo & rock to some tunes. We can watch 'Family Guy' when we want & I can eat peanut butter & honey sandwiches for breakfast, dinner, & supper. Groovy:))

SPLASHDOWN AS POPPA GOOSE LANDS NEAR THE NEST…MOMMA PREENS HER FEATHERS WHILE POPPA KEEPS A WARY EYE ON US

A few people have asked if we will get a playmate for Pheebs, especially since we were used to having 3 dogs before. We have not ruled that out but we are not actively searching. Of course we weren’t actively searching years ago either when Checkers & the Motormouse unexpectedly became part of our family. We have always liked the idea of more than one dog though. They are always good company for each other & it's double the love & entertainment for all of us. I suppose if the right situation cropped up & another little pooch was desperately needing a kind & loving home we would probably go out of our way to make that happen.

A SMALL BABY PAINTED TURTLE KEEPS AN EYE ON ALL THE COMMOTION

Generally, after the death of a pet people are in extreme grief over the loss. Some never own a pet again because they do not want to go through the grief of loosing another best Pal. We have lost 3 best Pal's in less than one year & I'm sure that same thought briefly entered my mind as well. But thankfully the thought was only brief. Loss is always remembered & best Pals are always thought of, but time is the healer of all wounds. As I sit here in my recliner today I can look over to my right & see the 3 little wooden boxes & the 3 little doggy collars. I can dwell on that & easily let myself slip into sadness. Or, I can look over to the left side of my computer.

There, contentedly sound asleep on the couch is our fabulous Pheebs. Nothing more I can do about the past but I sure can love & enjoy the present. Pheebe is here now & had we not dealt with our grief, she would not be here at all. We would have not missed these past 9 months with the Pheebs for anything. The ongoing every day joy is far greater than the grief we have struggled through. We will forever have our past memories of Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse & we will forever have our present day love right now for the Pheebs. And, time does heal the wounds….if you let it.

There are countless numbers of best Pals out there in the world who need to be loved & taken care of & countless little critters looking for an opportunity to return & share that love. If you have lost your best Pal, don't deny yourself the love of another best Pal, & more importantly than that, don't deny that little critter it's once in a life time opportunity of loving you. Gloria & Ron from Seaforth Ontario did just that recently after sadly loosing their little 7 year old mini Schnauzer Aby (Abby) to cancer. Gloria & Ron, despite being heavily grieved did not deny another little critter a loving home. Spencer, also a mini Schnauzer, came home with them & brought a new light & a new life, into their lives. We wish them many warm & happy love filled years ahead.

<<< WONDER HOW MANY MILLIONS OF TRIPS THESE LITTLE BEES MAKE TO KEEP ME SUPPLIED WITH HONEY FOR MY PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES

Had myself a wee bit of a domestic day. Couple loads of laundry, cleaned some windows, vacuumed some floors & fixed myself up a Gourmet meal of the finest breads topped with the yummiest peanut butter & honey in the land. It is truly a true Connoisseur of crushed peanuts & spun honey that I are. Of course this was just dessert. Me main course consisted of a mighty fine 'Hungry Man' turkey dinner complete with dressing, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, and a small Apple-Cranberry dessert which of course had to be followed by my real dessert of peanut butter & honey. Oh darn, forgot to get the mandatory blog foody photo.

Chuck & Geri over at HAPPY TRAILS are Workamping for the summer at the ZION RIVER RV RESORT in one of my very much most favorite States, Utah. As the name suggests, the Park is near Zion Canyon in southern Utah & if you haven’t been to Zion you had better put it on your list right along with Bryce Canyon not too darned far away. I have been to both these places twice & they are true ‘eye poppers’. Geri has some mighty fine photos of Utah at it’s best. We met Chuck, Geri, & the ‘Hound Herd’, Scotty, Doogie Bowser & Radar this past winter at Darby Well Road near Ajo, Arizona. Nice bunch a Critters:))

CAME ACROSS THIS HARMLESS BUT CHARMING LITTLE GARTER SNAKE TODAY AS WELL

Can’t remember if I mentioned it or not but Ivan finally made it back up to Alberta Canada a short while ago. He didn’t quite make a perfect landing as he brought his 5th wheel down the home stretch on 3 out of 4 wheels. But, I’ll let Ivan tell you all about that………..

MOMMA GOOSE IS BACK ON HER NEST AS WE DEPART THE AREA

Published the blog early tonight because Pheebs & are headed out in the Jeep to find us a nice vantage point with which to watch the year's largest full moon rise over the darkened quiet countryside. Of course we have a partial cloud cover so the moon rise could be a big bust. However, nice bonding time for me & the Kid:))

LONE FISHERMAN ON BAYFIELD’S SOUTH PIER AT SUNSET

GROANER'S CORNER:(( "The doctor said he would have me on my feet in two weeks." "And did he?" "Yes, I had to sell the car to pay the bill."

24 comments:

Al, you gotta give me a warning before I scroll down to a snake photo...just about lost my cookies...As for pets..no one pet can ever replace another. They each have their own special "heart spot", never to be forgotten..Pheebs is one great dog...enjoy her.

Wow, one of your best blogs ever - but it's a subject dear to my heart.

The snake is a really pretty little guy. Was reading on RV.net about a guy who has a plastic snake that he puts under his RV when in the Southwest to scare off pack rats. Says it really works, except he forgets it's there and about gives himself a heart attack every time he sees it. :)

Strange you just mentioned Zion River Resort, I was just making plans to go there in November. They host a hiking group for snowbirders and I have a hard time finding someone to hike with me. The resort just posted one of my husbands photos of Zion NP on their Facebook page. Zion is a magical, mystical place.

one of your better posts tonight Al!..Mr. Blabberfingers at his best!..you spoke from the heart with regards to pets passing and new one coming in to fill the void!..not to replace just to fill that empty space in your heart!..enjoy the Super Moon!!..and the time alone with the Pheebs!

Love the photos. Our garter snakes are still sleeping. We also toyed with the idea to get a companion for Molly after Boomer died, but it didn't happen. Now she is content to be "the princess" of the house.No moon to watch here, it's overcast.:((I'll try that tomorrow morning. Peanutbutter and Honey......

I liked all the pictures, but especially the painted turtle and the garter snake. I think your attitude about doggie pals is terrific - tho we all should do what our heart tells us to do. Pheebs is a lucky girl, for sure, as were her predecessors!

We have a 24' travel trailer and hubby and I are lucky we don't kill each other after a couple of weeks. Both of us being retired now makes being together 24/7 like a prison sentence in our small little bungalow. I'm joking of course but it's a good thing we both have our own spaces and our own hobbies so we can get that time apart.

Our two dogs our getting on in years and we have discussed what we might do when they are gone. We say no more dogs but I just can't see that happening. A house just isn't a home without a dog.

We are hoping the skies here in the Edmonton area clear up so we can sit out and stare at the moon. Enjoy your evening!

Great Blog Al, I'll be out there looking for the moon with you....Not a cloud in the sky here today.....Ms megabyte2 is my whole life,,,,, I sometimes wonder if she would like a playmate......but then I don't know if she would tolerate it or not.... I guss if me Angel sends me one like he did Ms mega2,,,,I will take it and enjoy it with all my heart....But if not, I'll just keep on loving her with all my heart....take care Al, we took a little ride in the desert today....didn't see another soul,,,,its really quiet here....

Ron and Gloria Thanks Al for your kind thoughts. We loss Abby on March 27th . Our thoughts were for you& Kelly & little Cora.it would have been very hard for you both Yesterday we became proud parents of a male schnauzer from Meinkismah Kennel Embro . His name is Spencer. He will never replace our Abby but brings a lot of joy back into our home .We are faithful followers of yours . Keep up the good work .

Yesterday we became proud parents of a male schnauzer from Meinkismah Kennel. His name is Spencer. He will never replace our Abby but brings a lot of joy back into our home .

We are not able yet to have another dog due to all the life changes going on (retirement and deciding which plan to go with)...but we have not said never either. Peanut butter and honey...yep, we used to eat a lot of those, our kids too. Those days are past now thanks to diabetes, but one can remember!Elizabeth in NC

On the living together 24/7.........My wife and I worked together since 1974 and retired 4 years ago and now, of course, are together 24/7 still while in Iowa in the summer and Rio Grande Valley in the winter. It's not quite a prison sentence, though it occasionally feels like it. http://2milestotravel-lynnmiles.blogspot.com/

Al, you are so right about best pals, we have been truly blessed with them in our lifetimes, and had to part with several. who now reside in their boxes here at the ranch.Rigg;s brings so much joy and companionship into my life right now we are truly best pals. When your spouse works and you are the 24/7 companion to a best pal you really do find out how much they depend and love you. PS Rigg's is a peanut butter fan also like his Daddy. Be safe out there Al. Sam & Donna....

The super moon was high in the sky by the time we got off work at 9:30 pm so I did't get any good photos of it with Zion as a beckdrop. But just walking home with Chuck under the beautiful big moon was wonderous! We love our hound herd! Just over 2 years ago, we had to put down 2 of our beloved pets. Bobbi had serious heart problems and The Midget had cancer. So we put them down together, they lived as friends and passed over as friends. The DoogieBowser bounced into our lives and a year later Radar joined the herd! They both keep our old Grandpa dog Scotty company, he is 17! Pets ARE family!Thanks for the good post AL! Gonna go make a peanut butter and honey sandwich now for breakfast....Geri

Love full moons of any size but was hoping this one was gong to live up to its "supermoon" name. It came up right on time but didn't look any more super than any other. Someone said it would be bigger later but that didn't make any sense to me. Hope your moon was huge and that you and the Phabulous Pheebs enjoyed it!!

AL'S CAMERA EQUIPMENT

A sometimes asked question readers have about my blog is what kind of a camera do I use. Well I have 8 of them and use them all. Five Nikon DSLR's, two quality Sony point and shoots plus one older Canon point and shoot.

'UPDATE':: July 2017 Thanks to a very generous blog reader I have been able to update my Nikon camera equipment and supplement my camera gear with a couple additional fine Sony cameras as well.I now have a 'donated' Nikon D7200 sporting my new Nikkor 18-300 3.5 zoom lens. Also have picked up a new Nikkor 1.8 primary 35mm lens. In addition I also now have a Sony RX100-3 camera as well as a Sony Exmore Cybershot. I have given my Canon Powershot point and shoot camera to a neighbor.

- In early 2017 I replaced my Nikon D-90 camera with a new D-3400 after the 'auto focus' feature on my aging D-90 quit working. The Nikon D-90 had been my work horse camera sporting a Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens. I used this camera for most of my landscapes and I now have it set up for night photography where 'auto focus' is not necessary.

-My older faithful and favorite Nikon D-40 finally packed it in during the summer of 2015 and I replaced it with a new Nikon D-3100.

- Previous to my Nikon D-90, most of my photos were taken with my old faithful Nikon D-50 from 2006 to early 2011 whereupon the D-50 suffered a rather gruesome death when it fell off a table onto a cement porch in southeastern Arizona. The 70-300mm lens on the camera survived the fall but the D-50 did not. My Nikkor lenses are interchangable between the D-90 the D-3100 and the D-3400.